He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. – Mark 4:26-27
In 2017, 20 young adults and pastors committed to a year of formation in peace and reconciliation. The training, a Certificate in Peace and Reconciliation, was offered by the Biblical Seminary of Colombia. It was offered in response to a felt need expressed by the leaders of the Colombian Covenant Youth Association, to equip their leaders to be agents of peace. They didn’t know the shape this initiative would take, but they knew they had to start somewhere. A peace agreement had been signed in Colombia and they knew the church needed to be equipped to model peace in tangible ways. So seeds were sown, as they came together every couple of months to study and learn about peacebuilding, thanks to a capacity building grant from Covenant World Relief and Development.
At the end of the certificate program, each region was given the invitation to develop a project that could be carried out in their local community that would promote shalom. The leaders of the Youth Association studied the proposals and decided to initiate with a project in El Bagre Antioquia, led by a local leader, Estefania. With the support of a grant from CWRD, the project took off. This project is what is known today as SEHPAZ – Be Peace Make Peace. If you’ve visited our blog or read our newsletters, you know all about SEHPAZ and the remarkable ways God is using this movement in El Bagre.
In 2021, Dhaisy, and other young adults from the Covenant Church in San Marcos began to formalize a peace project that God had placed in their hearts. ARTPAZ (Art Peace) responds to the needs of the children in their community for recreation, art and music classes, formation in the resolution of conflicts, safe spaces for mentoring, etc. They also dedicated themselves to helping mothers, heads of households, to learn a skill that can then be turned into an entrepreneurship opportunity. The impact they have had in their community is undeniable. Once again, CWRD, has supported with a grant so that the project is able to grow and multiply it’s efforts.
This year, in Bogota, ShaloMusic is a new peace initiative that is getting started in the San Francisco neighborhood. Jimena, the current President of the Colombian Covenant Youth Association, along with the pastors of the local church God of Hope have been dreaming, planning, and working hard to offer a space space for kids and youth in the community. They will be offering music classes in a very under-resourced community, as well as the opportunity to engage in arts and sports.
Jimena, Dhaisy, Estefania, and Diana who is the national coordinator of peace initiatives for the Colombian Covenant Youth Association, all received formation in 2017 through the Certificate of Peace and Reconciliation. This past week they were together in our home for a day of planning, dreaming, resourcing, collaborating and developing next steps. We thank God for each of them, for the team of leaders that they work alongside, and for the hundreds of children, youth, and adults who are getting a taste of shalom through them. We are grateful for the partnership with CWRD and for their commitment to collaborate with peacebuilders in Colombia.
As we’re sure you have experienced, there are many times when we serve and love and plant seeds, without seeing the fruit that is produced. Julio and I feel extremely grateful that we are seeing first-hand the fruit of years of commitment to equipping people to live as agents of shalom – biblical peace. We are humbled to be a part of the process and to walk alongside these incredible leaders and peacebuilding projects. What started as a dream in 2016, when we began to talk about a formational process, is now a growing reality.
